Route 29 Traffic Switch in Gainesville THIS SUNDAY

Traffic will be moved to a new bridge eliminating the railroad crossing on Route 29 in Gainesville. Motorists can expect major delays in Gainesville over the weekend of Aug. 23-25, as the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) shifts Route 29 traffic onto the new bridge and eliminates the at-grade railroad crossing where numerous crashes have occurred over the years between trains and vehicles. VDOT has delayed the traffic switch by a week due to the sold-out Jimmy Buffet concert at Jiffy Lube Live, which is located about a mile from the construction zone. With 25,000 concert-goers coming to Gainesville Aug. 17, that weekend clearly was not the best one for us to take away a lane on Route 29, said Bill Cuttler, VDOTs district construction engineer in northern Virginia. From 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 until noon Sunday, Aug. 25, only one lane in each direction will be open on Route 29 and Linton Hall Road and some turning movements will be restricted. Motorists can avoid delays of up to an hour through Gainesville by using I-66 and Route 15. Message signs will be posted several days in advance of the traffic switch. The weekend of Aug. 23-25 will be a major inconvenience for Gainesville area motorists but by Sunday afternoon the hazardous at-grade railroad crossing will be no more, said Cuttler. Getting traffic off Route 29 and onto the new bridge is a safety improvement that cannot happen soon enough. In order to switch traffic, crews need to construct a tie-in to the new bridge and pave and stripe the area. Police will be on the scene to assist with traffic control. Source: VDOT